I am a dual citizen with both the Nigerian and US passport. I intend to visit Nigeria and I havent traveled in a looong time. Will I need to get a visa or can I just present both passports at the airport?

I believe what most people with dual passports do is that they leave here with their American passport and use their Nigerian passport to get through customs in Nigeria. If you use your American passport then you have to get a Nigerian visa and that is a very frustrating task and I know that from experience, finally got my first Nigerian passport last year.

I am a dual citizen with both the Nigerian and US passport. I intend to visit Nigeria and I havent traveled in a looong time. Will I need to get a visa or can I just present both passports at the airport?

You MUST present[b] both [/b] passports at the US international airport at departure and present[b] both [/b] at MMA on arrival and departure too. Just to track your legitmacy and ties to both countries for security purposes.

You do not need to get a visa if you have a valid Nigerian passport. Please make sure they are not expired. Had a couple of people a know who actually showed up at the international airports here only to be turned back because one or both passports had expired, They were turned back of course and fined to get their tickets re-issued.

One more thing. Make absolutely sure the name on your ticket matches the name on all your passports perfectly without any discrepancies. Those ticketing agents will give you hell, especially for females with maiden names--make sure you carry a copy of your marriage certificates when ever you are traveling out of the country to justify your different name usuage in different passports. You will miss that flight if any discrepancies are found and you do not have the required documents to back up your stories.

Lol I was exaggerating obviously but the last time I renewed my Nigerian passport, it only lasted for like 5 years. Im not sure of the new one though. My dad told me they have new ones now, not sue about those, point still remains that they expired earlier than American passports which is annoying.

Lol I was exaggerating obviously but the last time I renewed my Nigerian passport, it only lasted for like 5 years. I'm not sure of the new one though.

My dad told me they have new ones now, not sue about those, point still remains that they expired earlier than American passports which is annoying.

Nigerian House here is so irritating.

A got scared there for a minute. Of course renewals are every 5 years and re-issues are every 10years. So darling, the next time you go to do your Nigerian passpost thingy--you will be getting a brand new passport--for another 10 years.

Let me advice you dearly. The last thing you want to do is renew your Nigerian passport in America. Those people eeeeeeehn? Sorry excuse for passport officials. All of them wear bathroom slippers to work with some nappy hair, eating at the desk in plain view of clients. Very unprofessional. Lord help you if they do not misplace your passport. Now some people have been lucky and some have been very unfortunate. The offices are just like the ones in Nigeria---austerity inscribed all over them. The only sad thing is that they are so out of place in the civilized environment they are located in.

So I prefer to do it in Nigeria even if a have 1 year left. The environment fits the behaviour of the people and in ma opinion the ones in Nigeria are more efficient--I was impressed. No bribe? Nothing lak "he is not on seat". Or "our paper has finished" Or "the machine is experiencing breakdown".

hahah and yea I'm sure they'll check passports before they blow themselves up

Aint that the truth

As long as it is an American passport me dear--the blood is gold! Please let them wait for me to disembark or jump out the window, before they blow themselves up ooooooooooooooh, just in time to say a quick "Hail Mary" before I go meet God or Devil whichever is ma fate.

Off to bed ma dear, off tomorrow with a lot of cleaning to do after wasting ma whole weekend on Nairaland of course.

i recently became a US citizen and during the ceremony they said that the US no longer recognizes dual citizenship for people who became citizens since i think 1992 i dont know check the department of state web page so if i were you just get the visa to Nigeria and save your self the hassle. I would also take my Nigerian passport with me so that when i pass the immigration box i go dey act like say na my Naija passport i bring come home

i recently became a US citizen and during the ceremony they said that the[b] US no longer recognizes dual citizenship for people who became citizens since i think 1992 [/b] i don't know check the department of state web page so if i were you just get the visa to Nigeria and save your self the hassle. I would also take my Nigerian passport with me so that when i pass the immigration box i go dey act like say na my Naija passport i bring come home

Became a citizen in 2001. Never had a problem. Been to Nigeria like 6 times since then. Both passports still remain valid in US and Nigeria.

OP, as alimondjoy said, you are better off taking a Valid Nigerian passport with you rather than trying to get a visa on your American passport. If you passport will be needing renewal, you better get a head start. Had to renew mine in 2006 before an October 06 trip to Lagos. I followed all the instruction on the American Embassy's website and chose to send it to the Atlanta office. I did so in March, way ahead of time you would think, since the processing time was supposed to be 2 weeks.

After about a month of not hearing anything, I decided to give them a call. Then I was informed that the passport machine has not been functioning for about 2 months. And they did not have the common sense of posting something on their out-dated website. I called there several times, each time with a different answer. They actually had to fly the folks to fix the machines (the Washington DC embassy's was broken too) in from Germany. The even suggested that he can send my passport back to me in my prepaid envelope, so that I can send it to the NY office. Talking about complete inefficiency. What's wrong with they sending the passports to NY, or getting someone in the US to fix the machines? Anyway I got my passport back around Late August. Bottom line, if you plan on dealing with the Nigerian embassy, give yourself a lot of time, and get ahead of the ball game!

Most flights to Nigeria from the USA transit through Europe, it may save you time and hassle. Just stop off at London, Nigeria High commission, you should get it in a day, well every time i have gone its been done same day. I am sure every Nigerian has friend or relatives in London and if you don't there a million Christian brothers and sisters, so stop off at Redeemed, Winners, Deeper Life, Kingsway,etc, etc. and I'm sure someone will help you with information or just check out the web site and call high commission. My experience has been that they are very helpful and polite but then again i am blessed and highly favoured of the Lord but you might be too also, so no problem. Remember US passport holders require no visa to the UK ( 1st cousins and all that), see address below.

i hope which ever route you choose to travel to Nigeria you would come back to update us so we all could know

D-reloaded:

lol @ ceremony

@ D-reloaded i dont know exactly what's funny about the word ceremony but this is what happenes when you go for your citizenship theuy have a "ceremony" just like when you graduated from high school they had a graduation ceremony fill me in on the joke

This is so untrue! You only present one. When you arrive at Lagos, you present only your Nigerian passport. When you get off Africa, the rest is your United States passport. They barely harrass you as Nigerians claim. If you present the two, you might have one of your Nigerian passport seized. Never display both passports especially in Europe.

I don't know about Europe.

I just went in and out within the past 3 months and presented both when asked both in Nigeria and here in the US. No one seized any of the passports. I guess it depends on who is doing the asking--via random interrogation. Sometimes you have to present one, and sometimes both. Who knows why?

Ivvie:

That is true, after the gulf war. I don't know how Nigerians do it but they do. You forego one for the other. If you have to go to Lagos, get a Visa. There is no guarantee that you'd be approved visa. They waste your time.

It is not necessary to get a visa when you have a valid Nigerian passport. You cannot get to Nigeria without a visa on your American passport. No questions asked if you have your valid Nigerian passport. Nigerians do not do anything. Dual citizenship is ok with Nigeria and the US. I cannot speak for Europe.

why are you hijacking someone else's post why don't you start your own

ok i feel better now. Well you have to attain permanent residence in the country you want their passport (dont ask how i got mine) but which ever country it is you plan on you might have to marry someone or hope to win a lottery if they have one or with the power of the almighty God your application might be approved just because you apply

Our problem in Nigeria is that we too do even the one wey them no send us!

When you come back to the US all they need is your American passport as evidence for citizenship! they only ask for your Nigerian passport if you have just your green card or if you're on a visa.

Same for Nigeria, they have no business with your American passport! (Visa or no visa, green card or no green card, citizen or not is not their job) I mistakenly gave one my American passport last Dec. at MMA, you need to see the way this guy was turning this passport from side to side, raised it agaist the light and all that! kai I was force to snatch it from his hand. He claimed he's doing his job eventhough I know he can't tell a real or fake US passport.

@poster: once you have a valid nigerian passport, you'll be fine.

And if I may ask what kind of nigerian visa is morethan the NIGERIAN PASSPORT itself? una go kill person with advice oh! abi you fit tell an American to get a US visa on any passport if/while he has a valid American passport?

All I'm saying is why even talk of Nigerian Visa (on an American passport) while the traveler has a Nigerian passport!All he need to do is make sure its valid. I realy don't think I know any Nigerian that has a Nigerian valid passport that talk of visa so why advicing him to go get a visa? abi him own diff?